shomi
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| Type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Founded | August 2014 |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°40′20″N 79°22′44″W / 43.6722701°N 79.3788775°WCoordinates: 43°40′20″N 79°22′44″W / 43.6722701°N 79.3788775°W |
| Area served | Canada |
| Key people | David Asch (President/General Manager) Marni Shulman (Senior Director, Head of Programming) |
| Owner | Rogers Shaw |
| Slogan(s) | What's Good |
| Website | shomi.com |
| Type of site | Video on demand |
| Launched | November 4, 2014 |
| Current status | Active |
shomi (pronounced like "show me", all lower-case) is a Canadian subscription video on demand service.
shomi is available via the video on demand library of subscribers' set-top boxes, and as an over-the-top service via its website, mobile apps, video game consoles, and other devices.[1] The service is priced at $8.99 per month, with support up to 2 simultaneous streams.
Contents
Content[edit]
At its initial launch, the service offers 340 TV series (11,000 hours) and 1,200 movies.[2] shomi content is divided into manually curated categories and collections.[1][3]
In October 2014, the service announced a content deal with the American premium cable service Starz, which will see some of that channel's original series, including Power, Survivor's Remorse, Black Sails, The White Queen, Spartacus and Da Vinci's Demons, distributed through the service.[4] In 2015, the service announced its addition of the Amazon Prime web series Transparent[5] (as of 2015, Amazon Prime streaming programming is not accessible from Canada).
The service partnered with City on the original series Between, starring Jennette McCurdy. The series premiered simultaneously on City and shomi, and was also be distributed on Netflix outside of Canada.[6]
shomi content is organized by ratings by the Canadian motion picture rating system, with profiles restriction support of titles up to PG (kids restriction) or 18A (age of majority restriction). shomi has a dedicated 'Kids' section to highlight content for immature viewers, categorized by collections including: featured characters, under 5 years, 6–9 years, and 10–13 years.
Device Support[edit]
This is a list of over-the-top devices that are compatible with shomi streaming service [7]
| Product | Subtitles |
|---|---|
| Android | Yes |
| AppleTV 2nd/3rd/4th gen | Yes |
| Chromecast | No |
| iOS (iPad, iPhone) | Yes |
| PS4 | Yes |
| Web - Adobe Flash | Yes |
| Xbox 360 | Yes |
| Xbox One | Yes |
| STB | Yes |
Distribution[edit]
For its beta phase on November 4, 2014, shomi was only available to those who are customers of Rogers and Shaw's internet or cable television services.[1][3] A Rogers representative stated that the venture was "evaluating various distribution models" and was in talks with other television providers.[8] As of August 20, 2015, shomi is available as a standalone service and is no longer exclusive to Rogers or Shaw customers.[9][10] In October 2015, Shaw Direct added shomi to the lineup.[11] The service is frequently bundled as an add-on along with internet subscription packages from partner ISPs.
Criticism[edit]
In February 2015, the Consumers’ Association of Canada and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre filed a complaint with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) about shomi and Bell Media's competing service CraveTV, arguing that their exclusivity primarily to those who are subscribers of their respective owners' television services was a form of tied selling that "[discriminates] against customers who wish to only view programming through an Internet service provider of their choice".[8]
On March 12, 2015, the CRTC announced new proposed regulations for video on demand services, creating a new category for "hybrid online video-on-demand" services between unregulated digital services and licensed video on demand services offered by providers, which are not allowed to offer "exclusive" content, and are also subject to genre protection and Canadian content rules. These services would not be bound to the aforementioned rules, including the ability to offer "exclusive" content, and can be made accessible within a television provider's video on demand system, but they must be also offered over-the-top on a standalone basis without a television subscription.[12][13] The CRTC did not explicitly state whether CraveTV or shomi would be classified as a "hybrid" VOD service under its proposed regulations, thus requiring them to offer their service on a standalone basis.[12] shomi announced in May 2015 that it would begin offering its service as a standalone product later in the year.[9]
In June 2015, Eastlink and Telus also filed a complaint with the CRTC against shomi, arguing that the exclusivity period to Rogers and Shaw subscribers gave the two companies an unfair advantage, as they do not operate in all areas of the country, and no other third-party provider had offered it. The complaint alleged that the partnership had purposely frustrated attempts by third-party providers to negotiate deals to offer shomi through various means, including providing limited notice of its launch (in contrast to CraveTV, which provided more advance notice, giving time for providers to reach deals), and stalling attempts to negotiate carriage deals by refusing to send a full contract to Eastlink. The complaint concluded that the actions demonstrated Rogers and Shaw "had no intention of making shomi available to independent [providers], and their customers, in a timely manner."[14]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "shomi Available to Rogers & Shaw Internet and Cable Subscribers". Broadcaster Magazine. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- ^ "Rogers, Shaw launch rival Netflix-like service Shomi". CBC News. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
- ^ a b Nicole Bogart (26 August 2014). "What is ‘shomi’ and how does it work?". Global News. Shaw Media. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
- ^ "shomi Partners with Starz Digital Media". Broadcaster, October 3, 2014.
- ^ "TV series Transparent coming to Shomi". Toronto Star, January 12, 2015.
- ^ "Canadian drama series to debut on ‘shomi’ streaming service". Global News, October 20, 2014.
- ^ "shomi devices"
- ^ a b "Consumer groups challenge ‘tied selling’ of CraveTV, Shomi services" (The Globe and Mail). Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Shomi expands to anyone in Canada with internet connection, not just TV subscribers". Canadian Press. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ "Shomi set to go to wider audience". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ http://www.shawdirect.ca/english/shomi/?intcid=ib-2015-10-15-shomi-Hero1-eng-shawdirect/
- ^ a b "CRTC proposes looser regulation if broadcasters offer CraveTV, Shomi to all Canadians". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ "Let's Talk TV: CRTC announces measures to support the creation of content made by Canadians for Canadian and global audiences". CRTC. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ "Shomi gave Rogers, Shaw an unfair head start, Telus and Eastlink argue". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
External links[edit]
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